President Obama’s new National
Space Policy sets goals and guidelines for American space activities and
promotes a robust and competitive U.S. commercial space sector, U.S.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said today. The policy also puts increased
emphasis on space-based environmental observations and international
cooperation, both critical functions of the Commerce Department’s National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The policy, released today, is the Obama
administration’s first comprehensive policy guiding our endeavors in space. It
addresses commercial space by directing government agencies to encourage and
facilitate the growth of a U.S. commercial space sector through increased
U.S. purchases of commercial
space goods, reducing the regulatory impact on the space industry and actively
promoting the export of U.S. space
products. Read moreWhite House fact sheet